Monday, May 25, 2009

SunChips and National Geographic have joined forces to create the Green Effect, an initiative to inspire individuals to spark a green movement in their communities.

YOU could be the one to make a difference in your community—for the planet! Submit a description of your Green Effect idea by June 8, 2009. Ten finalists will be announced July 7, 2009. Online viewers and a distinguished panel of judges will review these inspiring ideas.

We'll award $20,000 each to five people or groups that have the best ideas for green change. The five winners will also be profiled in National Geographic, and the winners will travel to Washington, D.C., to share their projects with environmental leaders.

The students explored several green printing practices and ultimately made the recommendation that the College switch to 30% recycled paper, change default printer margins to 0.75" on all College computers, install PaperCut printer management software on all College computers, change default settings on all printers and copiers to duplex (double-sided copies), and install EcoFont as the default font on all computers.

The combined impact of these recommendations implemented in unison would reduce the College's paper and ink purchases and result in at least a 39% cost savings over current methods; this would require the purchase of 151 cases of paper (instead of the current 251 cases) and 26 laser ink cartridges and toner (instead of the current 30 cartridges). The environmental benefits of implementing these recommendations would be

87.3 trees saved,

11.3 tons of wood saved,

16,659 pounds of CO2 emissions prevented,

57,753.6 gallons of water saved,

33,449.9 kilowatts of electricity saved, and

6,985.7 pounds of solid waste prevented.

This project was completed by Amila Barakovic, Brigitte Armato, Chris Watson, Erica Griffin, William Tarter, and Anita Ojeda under the direction of Dr. N. Landrum.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The list of colleges and universities offering degrees, majors, or certificates in sustainable business continues to grow (see a complete list in the right sidebar of this blog). I often receive emails asking if I know where to get an online degree in sustainable business. For those asking this question, last week, two new programs were announced.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY INTRODUCES INNOVATIVE BOTTLE MADE FROM RENEWABLE, RECYCLABLE, PLANT-BASED PLASTIC

ATLANTA, May 14, 2009 - The Coca-Cola Company unveiled today a new plastic bottle made partially from plants. The "PlantBottle™" is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles.

"The 'PlantBottle™' is a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. "It builds on our legacy of environmental ingenuity and sets the course for us to realize our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable."

Traditional PET bottles are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. The new bottle is made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials.

"The Coca-Cola Company is a company with the power to transform the marketplace, and the introduction of the "PlantBottle™" is yet another great example of their leadership on environmental issues," said Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund, U.S. "We are pleased to be working with Coke to tackle sustainability issues and drive innovations like this through their supply chain, the broader industry and the world."

The "PlantBottle™" is currently made through an innovative process that turns sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar production, into a key component for PET plastic. Coca-Cola is also exploring the use of other plant materials for future generations of the "PlantBottle™."

Manufacturing the new plastic bottle is more environmentally efficient as well. A life-cycle analysis conducted by Imperial College London indicates the "PlantBottle™" with 30 percent plant-base material reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET.

Another advantage to the "PlantBottle™" is that, unlike other plant-based plastics, it can be processed through existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without contaminating traditional PET. So, the material in the "PlantBottle™" can be used, recycled and reused again and again.

Coca-Cola North America will pilot the "PlantBottle™" with Dasani and sparkling brands in select markets later this year and with vitaminwater in 2010. The innovative bottles will be identified through on-package messages and in-store point of sale displays. Web-based communications will also highlight the bottles' environmental benefits.

"The 'PlantBottle™' represents the next step in evolving our system toward the bottle of the future," said Scott Vitters, Director of Sustainable Packaging of The Coca-Cola Company. "This innovation is a real win because it moves us closer to our vision of zero waste with a material that lessens our carbon footprint and is also recyclable."

The Coca-Cola Company -- the first company to introduce a beverage bottle made with recycled plastic -- has been focused on ensuring the sustainability of its packaging for decades. It has put resources behind creating packaging that is recyclable and investing in recycling infrastructure to ensure that its packages are collected, recycled and re-used. Earlier this year, the Company opened the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. The plant will produce approximately 100 million pounds of recycled PET plastic for reuse each year -- the equivalent of nearly 2 billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles. These efforts are all focused on helping "close the loop" on packaging use and produce truly sustainable packages for consumers.

About The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with nearly 500 sparkling and still brands. Along with Coca-Cola®, recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company's portfolio includes 12 other billion dollar brands, including Diet Coke®, Fanta®, Sprite®, Coca-Cola Zero®, vitaminwater, POWERADE®, Minute Maid® and Georgia® Coffee. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that protect the environment, conserve resources and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/index.html

Building on the grassroot efforts started by its own employees, eBay partnered with Net Impact to develop this report as a way to empower current and aspiring social intrapreneurs to change their organizations one department or project at a time to ultimately influence the definition of sustainability jobs and business.

Making Your Impact at Work summarizes key themes identified in the experiences of social intrapreneurs and provides a model for future changemakers to follow as they create a positive impact in their own corporate positions.

The accompanying In-Depth Case Studies, which are available to Net Impact members, profile 15 social intrapreneurs representing a range of functions and industries, and provides details on the planning and execution of their corporate change projects. The 13 companies represented include Accenture, Best Buy, Clorox, McDonald's, Google, among others.

Net Impact and eBay hope that these new publications will inspire the next generation of social intrapreneurs and provide the guidance necessary to make their projects successful.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is now accepting applications for its annual Student Sustainability Leadership Award. The award will be given to an undergraduate student attending an AASHE-member school who has played a leadership role in implementing campus sustainability. The $750 award will be given to the winning student in September.